By: Addy Burrow 

STATESBORO — Many high schoolers try to get as far away from home as possible when they go to college. They want freedom and independence. This was not the case for Statesboro native Abby Newton. She wanted to stay in her hometown community and prove that you can find ways to grow wherever you are. 

Abby’s parents met when they both attended Georgia Southern and decided to put down roots in Statesboro. 

“They’re not from Statesboro originally, but they met here. My dad’s from Millen, a small town in Hazelhurst, Georgia, which is super South Georgia,” she told us. “They decided to stay here after they were in school here for four years each. They didn’t play a college sport or anything, but they loved it, obviously loved Statesboro, and just decided to stay. And that has been super cool because at every event we’re at, their college friends are there. Actually, [former tennis player] Elizabeth Goines who graduated from here two years ago, her parents and my parents were roommates in college. And so, it's just super cool to have connections like that. I think them being alumni has just grown my love for the school as well. The more connections and things you have with people just make it more special. So, growing up with Eagle Alums, it just makes you love it.”

Statesboro is where Abby Newton was born and where she grew up. She attended Bulloch Academy for high school, and when the time came, she decided to come to Georgia Southern to play golf. A lot of people might think this is the safe choice, that staying in your hometown your whole life doesn’t provide the opportunity to grow that moving away does, but for Abby, this has not been the case. She has grown in a lot of ways since coming to Southern, and she has been able to help make an impact on Georgia Southern women’s golf. 

Growing up in Statesboro was an influential factor in Abby’s collegiate decision-making process. She learned what she valued and how a small-town community could offer a lot in terms of experience and support. 

“I love Statesboro,” Abby said when asked about her favorite part about the Boro. “You can ask my teammates, when we go on a long trip, I'm like: ‘This is my limit, time to go back to Statesboro.’ I'd say growing up here, I probably didn’t realize it then. The small-town community is all I’ve known, but after traveling and meeting people from other places, the people are so special here. I think they really make a difference, not just their impact and how they interact with Georgia Southern and athletics, but just in general. They’re so nice and welcoming, and it’s just like home, you know, it feels like home, I think, even if I wasn’t from here. It's a super close and connected town. I love the community part.”

Her experience growing up in Statesboro is what really tied Abby to Georgia Southern and allowed her to find a home here. She grew up living the small-town life. Everyone knows everyone, and you meet the same people at church that you meet at school and that you meet in sports. Abby was able to have experiences when she was younger that are a part of who she is in Georgia Southern Athletics today.

“I mean, every Saturday I’d go to Daylight Donuts with my dad—literally every Saturday, probably from the time I was three to high school,” she revealed. “That was something that I think was like a small-town feel growing up here. And then, way back when Snookie’s was open, we’d go there, but they closed when I was probably 11 or 12. I think stuff like that you don't get in a lot of other big cities. And then transitioning into Georgia Southern Athletics, like growing up going to every home football game, and I remember all the coaches going to baseball games. I still have a collection of SoCon baseballs that I would get foul balls from when we were in the SoCon. So, it’s just stuff like that I think made Statesboro special for me growing up.”

Not only was Abby able to bring her experiences growing up into her life as a Georgia Southern athlete, but she was also able to embrace what she loves most about the sport of golf. 

“When I first started playing golf—I grew up playing a lot of other sports and played them throughout high school,” Abby explained. “I think what drew me to golf was how hard it was and how much harder it was to get better at it. You don’t just get better overnight. Basketball and softball for me, I got better really fast. Golf is something that you can never perfect. So, that drives me to it every day. I'll shoot 75 one day and be so mad leaving the golf course, but I know I’m gonna come back the next day because I left so many shots out there.”

The pursuit of getting better is what drives her commitment to sport every day and what pushed her to take the leap and try to make golf her NCAA sport. The Georgia Southern coach at the time, Emily Kuhfeld, gave Abby a chance despite her lower experience level.

“This is a great topic because, for me, it was probably unlike any other recruiting story from Georgia Southern golf,” Abby stated. “I started playing golf really late, I was like 14-15. In my junior year of high school, I was like, ‘I want to do this in college.’ I was over the basketball life, and I really loved golf. So, the summer before senior year, I’m reaching out to all these coaches because it's so late, and we had a different coach at the time, Coach Kuhfeld. I’m really grateful for her because she eventually gave me the opportunity to play here. 

“I emailed her like 100 times, and she finally responded. I was like, ‘I’m here. Can I just come talk to you and meet you or whatever?’ I did that, and she offered me a walk-on spot. At the time, I didn’t care. I had a couple of other Division II offers, really high level, but more developmental programs, which is what I needed, so I almost committed to one of those in South Carolina. So, I was really between here and there, and then I was like, ‘Where do I want to go to school? Where do I want to be a part of the community? Where do I want to grow as a student outside of my sport?’ It was like a no-brainer. I was like, I’ve been a part of the Southern family my whole life. If I had the opportunity to go here, why would I not? And so, I walked on, and the rest is history.”

The rest was history. After her freshman season with Kuhfeld, Newton began to improve significantly under the tutelage of current head coach Mimi Burke. Abby saw incredible improvement during her sophomore (2021-22) season when she tied for 12th at the NCAA Tallahassee Regional. She had a standout 2022-23 season when she earned her first collegiate win. She also earned three top-5 finishes, first-team All-Sun Belt honors and a ranking of 12th overall in the Sun Belt Conference. 

Abby feels that, in the last year, she has come to realize how right it was for her to be on this team and a part of Georgia Southern Athletics. Abby has an athletic impact on Georgia Southern golf, but looking back on her career, she knows that playing good golf was not her only purpose here at Southern.

Her connections in Statesboro have been vital for Abby’s impact here at Southern. Because of her growing up in Statesboro, she has been able to contribute to developing the team from a fundraising standpoint. These experiences have pushed Abby even further outside of her comfort zone, but they are part of the impact that she wants to leave behind on this team. 

“At first, I was really nervous about staying here,” Abby said. “I was like, ‘Am I gonna like this? Am I gonna hate it?’ I’ve loved it. I think it definitely could have been a lot different, like seeing my teammates and how they come from all over the world and just how different that is for them. I think I'm super fortunate and lucky to be able to stay here. I see it as it's made me grow more and like I've had to do things that I might not have done if I’d gone to Georgia or Clemson, or somewhere just far enough that you can’t be at home. I think I’ve had the opportunity to represent athletics in a lot of ways just because I’m from here. I’ve been lucky enough to do that stuff, and I think that’s made me grow so much. 

“I have had the chance to really help our program grow because, being a young program, we’re not even 10 years old. We definitely needed a lot more support than we had, especially compared to when I first got here. Women’s golf at Georgia Southern was just not a big deal, and our coaches really helped with that, too. So, being able to grow the women’s golf program at events like the Last Drive and being from here has helped that. And if that's all I can say when I leave here, I’ll be really proud of that.”

After graduating in May, Abby’s career journey is finally taking her outside of Statesboro. She will complete an internship in Atlanta before hopefully starting her career with that same organization in Savannah—not too far from home. This move is something that Abby thinks will be good for her. As much as she feels staying in Statesboro was the right choice for her collegiate career, she is excited to see where else her professional career can take her. 

As she leaves Georgia Southern and Statesboro at the end of this school year, Abby hopes to leave behind a legacy that shows how good Georgia Southern Athletics is and encourages future generations of athletes to give back to those who make their experience possible.

“Our fundraiser last week gave me so much clarity, and I was like, ‘This is what my purpose is’ ” Newton revealed. “I think Statesboro has just been the best thing for me. I hope every other student-athlete has a similar experience, I know it won’t be the same, but I know so many people love it that come here. Georgia Southern Athletics is underrated. We may be a G5 program in name, but I think we have the best staff in the country. With Jared Benko’s leadership as AD, I don't know how it could be better. I hear people talking about their staff and stuff, but I really think ours is unreal—coaches and everything. Georgia Southern just cares about you, and that’s what I want people to know, through whatever it takes, I don’t want some 5-star recruit to come here and be like, ‘They’re not a Power-5 or whatever.’ If it’s about that for you, then you probably don’t need to be here anyway because that’s not what we’re about.”

Tune in for the women’s golf Sun Belt Conference Tournament April 15-18 as Abby and the Eagles look to capture the conference crown!

Addy Burrow is a fifth-year senior at Georgia Southern who is pursuing a master's degree in profesional communication. She is also an All-American on Georgia Southern's nationally ranked rifle squad.